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On The Road Again:
I mentioned in the first newsletter (which you can read from the archives here if you just signed up or can’t find it in your inbox), in two days, on Wednesday morning, I will begin a 12-hour drive to upstate New York to give my 1919 Henderson a thorough mechanical checkup and, weather permitting, put some miles on the bike with some other enthusiasts.
Mechanical Update:
There are a few things on my near-term “to do” list that, once completed, will make the bike more rideable. I expect to finish up a couple of them this week before heading to New York and the rest while I am there:
- Finishing touches on the Front Brakes: The 1919 Henderson did not come with front brakes and the rear brakes left a lot to be desired. Additionally, the original “clincher” rims are notoriously dangerous if you get a blowout because the tire will not remain on the rim and will get bound into the frame. Because I intended a transcontinental ride (to include some off-road riding), I had new wheels built around repurposed Honda hubs with drum brakes. I have a few finishing touches left to complete the brakes. Hopefully my extra efforts will avert some wheel and tire issues, say, like the one captured in the header of this newsletter, a photo C.K. took while taking a break in at 110°F heat during a tire repair along the side of the Santa Fe Trail in the Colorado wilderness.
- Electrical: In 1919, Henderson came in two versions: One model (Model Z-2-E) had a General Electric generator, lights, and a horn. The other (Model Z-2) did not have any of that. My Henderson is, unfortunately, the Z-2, without the lighting, so I have been “upgrading” my bike’s electrics. I will probably not complete my “electrification kit” in time for my ride (which will be an alternator fixed inside a custom housing created from a computerized tomography (CT) scan of an original General Electric generator and will be driven by the camshaft gear as on the Model Z-2-E), so I will be powering my bike with a sealed battery for:
- LED headlight housed in a vintage headlight assembly.
- LED tail light assembly with turn signals, brake lights, etc.
- Brake light switches to illuminate the brake light when brakes are applied.
- OEM Klaxon #8C horn. I had some help (thanks Chris!) getting this 6V horn to sound like new on a 12V system (ah-ooh-gah!).
- Power source for small USB adapters for GPS, phone, etc.
- Rear Rack: I have a reproduction rack for a later-year Henderson that needs minor modification to fit my bike. Although C.K.’s rack primarily carried his hundred-pound trunk, my rack is important to me because it will be home to (a) my spare gas tank, (b) an extra battery, (c) my rear tail light assembly that includes a license plate mount and light.
- Speedometer: I bought a restored Corbin speedometer/odometer (the same kind C.K. had installed on his bike) with all the parts including the drive gears, “cables,” etc. It is quite the arcane amalgamation of moving parts just to show speed and distance! Although my expectations for accuracy are not very high, I have hopes that it will be more than an ornament... that I can use it to keep better track of miles on the bike once I get the speedometer installed (which I hope may be this week).
- Other Odds and Ends: I have a few other outstanding details to work on, including an air filter (the lack of which in 1919 undoubtedly led to extremely short engine life over the dirt roads in 1919), new kickstart lever, and -if I get brave- drilling a hole in the top of both gas tank caps to silver-solder a nice 2-inch-tall brass vent tube (to keep gasoline from again venting over the tank).
Route Planning and Key Details
- The Route: When I was down at the Sunshine Chapter Meet in Daytona Beach the first weekend in March, a number of people asked me for highway number details for the roads I planned for my ride. I was caught a bit flat-footed because I had not used modern route numbers for planning. I used 1919 reference books and maps, all printed before numbers were used for highways. However, it helps people orient themselves if I can tell them about the (often old) U.S. route numbers I will be riding on or paralleling, and the Interstates I will be near (but not riding on except where there is no alternative). So I have begun work to describe the route including adjacent highways, dates, planned stops, etc. Once I get that done, I will post the route and schedule on the web site with a narrated video of the map.
- Launch in Manhattan: I am still looking for logistical assistance in Manhattan from July 2-4. That said, I have circled back to my “ferry” operator to firm up the original plan: to take a “ferry” across the Hudson River to New Jersey at sunrise on the 4th of July. There are no more automobile ferries there, so I am going to contract with an operator of a powered barge to take me and my bike from the tip of Manhattan over to New Jersey, with a loop around the Statue of Liberty for good measure. It may come to pass that I will be able to offer - to a very small group of individuals - a way to accompany me on this 1919 re-enacted ferry ride across the Hudson River. Check my website in the coming days for updates.
- Crossing Private Land: Some of C.K.’s route from 1919 is now private property. I have been working for some time to gain permission for access. I am now down to working on finalizing terms so that I may ride the most authentic and accurate route possible.
Publicity
- Publicist: Even with Daylight Savings Time, there are no longer enough hours in the day to do everything I need. I never in my life thought I would utter such words, but I have just made another investment, this one to retain a professional publicist to help with outreach and media coordination for my book, the Across America by Motor-Cycle: The Fully Annotated Centennial Edition, as well as publicity on the ride itself, coordinating all media appearances before, during, and after the ride. This should result in a dramatic improvement in quality communications, particularly for those who wish to follow along or even get involved along the way. Meanwhile, I’m still coming to grips with the fact a commoner like me needs a publicist. What has this world come to? ;-)
- New Web Site: This is another area where I have retained help to make it easier for you to follow along or get involved along the way. After an unfortunate development setback, I now have engaged a new team of professional web developers and I have approved a mock-up of the new web site. The “coders” are busy getting the function of the new site match the mock-up. It is hard to say when it will be done, but I hope for mid-April.
- Social Media: I have continued to post material on Facebook and Instagram and should be posting new videos on YouTube later this week following the fun and games up in New York. I also plan to do my first Facebook Live broadcast this week as I drive up to New York on Wednesday (will try about 8AM EDT) and even while there tinkering. There may even be a short live Instagram feed today as I mount that Klaxon horn!
Let Me Hear From You!
As I probably mentioned, it is an important function of social media visibility to have “likers” (Facebook), “followers” (Instagram), and “subscribers” (YouTube) so, if you have not yet shown your support in that way, every little bit helps! I also wanted to make a plea to ask that, if you bought the Kindle, Paperback, or Audiobook versions of C.K.’s 1922 book that I recently remastered, reset, and republished, that you go back to amazon.com and REVIEW THE BOOK.
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